Nakupenda Kenya

This wasn't supposed to be my first post. I was going to talk about why I'm doing this, what I hope to gain, something about me, my hopes, my dreams, I dunno. But all that's on my mind these days is Kenya.



It's not like everything else. I mean, you hear about Rwanda, Sudan, Liberia, everything, and you can just look and go "Oh, how sad. We should do something about it." But Kenya is the only place I want to just jump out of my skin. It is truly the most beautiful country with the most amazing people I've ever been on the planet. And the fact that this is happening there... it just takes the wind out of me. And what's worse, I haven't heard from anyone. I've sent emails, instant messages, texts... No one has responded. I have friends in Eldoret, where the church was burned, and Nairobi... Seeing the pictures on the news, looking at places I've been in flames or with people lying dead on the ground. In my heart, I think I'm looking for my friends...


I know what you're thinking, 300 people died, big deal. What's the probability it's someone you know? But that's not even what scares me. It's the fact that this is how it always starts. A few revolts over some election gone awry, a burned church in a country that holds religion and God above all... What's next? 300,000 lives? 2 million displaced? How long will this go on? When will it be time to start worrying about my friends? When will it be okay for me to look through pictures of the dead and displaced for a familiar face? When will it be okay for me to cry for a country, for a people I love so much??

Because it's NOT just news. It's NEVER JUST NEWS. These are real people...

I wrote out this wonderfully long speech about how we need to do something about it and stop separating ourselves from things that are far away, but the truth is, that's not helping either...

The truth is, all we can do is sit and wait. For an update, a death toll, a news break...

Just do me this one favor, just realize... when you're looking at those numbers, those pictures, that news report, just realize... that's somebody's mother, sister, husband, brother, child...

Those people are real people. And we are NOT exempt. Tragedies like this don't just happen in Africa; revolutions and uprisings can happen anywhere. Don't take your blessings for granted. Being able to walk around freely in your country and not have to worry about men and children with guns and machetes, you are already so very blessed.


We all come from Africa. If God is the Father, she is our mother.

Kenya, salama ya kuonana. Nakupenda sana, na natamani ungekuwepo hapa mama Africa.